City Corp. has a new general manager to replace Craig Noble, who took a job running the water department for the city of Rogers last year.

Steve Mallet Jr. said Wednesday he is excited to be back in Russellville at the city’s water utility. He had previously worked at the utility before taking a position in Hot Springs.

Mallet was the acting City Corp. chief operations officer until late December of last year. He transitioned into his new position at the beginning of January.

He is originally from Morrilton and attended Arkansas Tech University’s engineering program, where he received his bachelor of science degree in 1993 with a focus on wastewater treatment.

During his academic career, he worked part-time for City Corp. He said the experience was beneficial, but looked forward to acquiring additional professional knowledge in his position with the city of Hot Springs.

In the Spa City, Mallet started as an engineer and worked his way up through the ranks and ultimately landed as the deputy city manager. His job included managing the public works and utilities departments, as well as parks and recreation, water, sewage and animal control. According to Mallet, the job began in public works and then grew to encompass the deputy manager position.

Mallet said he enjoyed working for City Corp. and is glad to be back. He liked Hot Springs because there was lots to do and he will miss the festivities and events like the Harley-Davidson parade.

Mallet said he is aware of the coming needs the city of Russellville will have for a larger water supply and he has working ideas for solutions to that need.

“I am very appreciative of the staff and board at City Corp. and am looking forward to working with the city of Russellville,” he said.

Former City Corp. Board Chairman Tommy Richardson attended his last meeting as a board member on Tuesday.

“I started as a junior board member,” Richardson said. “I spent the last five years moving up on the board. It was an enjoyable time, and I learned a lot, and I hope I did some good. We are extremely lucky to get Steve Mallet once we found out Noble was moving.”

Richardson said Mallet is a perfect fit because he is familiar with City Corp. because of his past work history with the utility.

“He is a super nice young man and will have a good working relationship with the city,” Richardson said.

According to Richardson, Mallet’s starting annual pay is $110,000.

“This is a small wage for the level of responsibility he has. He is not just a manager, he is also a professional engineer (P.E.). He has a vast knowledge of the water and sewer industry,” Richardson said.